There is a thirst and a hunger on the Northside of Minneapolis for the advancement of children. The charge is great; the gain is greater. It has been an honor to serve as a teacher, an assistant principal, and as a principal in this community where my earliest memories of childhood exist. I consider it an honor to be given the opportunity to sustain and build upon the work of advancing our children here at Laney. May we never tire of quenching that thirst or feeding that

hunger.

I did not expect to be a teacher. My dream in life was to cover the stories of the world through print journalism. Becoming a young mom changed my focus and a short time later, rather than covering guerilla warfare in Central America, I found myself standing in front of a room full of 6th graders. And, surprisingly, I came alive with them. The feeling was mutual and we connected with one another in a way that lent itself to their academic gains.

My years in the classroom overflowed with great challenges and even greater rewards. During those years I taught grades five through eight and am blessed to continue to hear from those students as they update me on their adult lives, the places they've been and the places they're going.

After years in the classroom, I had the opportunity to support educational leaders in various ways; a Vice Principal at a Charter School, a Teacher on Special Assignment, an Assistant to two

Superintendents, an Assistant Principal and now a Principal. As I reflect on my years in education, it amazes me that my reality is what it is. There are so many commonalities that my students and I share; yet through barriers and strongholds, I stood strongly on my faith and am proud to show how that faith has carried me along the way. I strive to model for my students how odds can be beat, goals can be achieved and perseverance can be rewarded.

As an educator, I believe

that our instructional expertise, blended with an undying dedication to our students, will result in their academic success. At Laney we strive to fulfill the mission of delivering young minds to embrace learning. We uplift and attempt to embody concepts like Culturally Relevant Teaching, the Parent/Teacher Home Visit Project and a Healthy School Culture. To read more about these concepts, see the links below.

We pride ourselves on being parent and community friendly.

Our doors are open and we would be more than happy to welcome visitors, volunteers and partners. Please feel free to contact us at 612-668-2200 or email me at mauri.melander@mpls.k12.mn.us.

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Check out more about Lucy Laney school and the migration of better to best below...

As a young child, just like many young children, I was deeply impacted by those around me. In the first grade, my teacher at Lincoln Fundamental here on the Northside planted a seed that would be developed over the years. At times I would complain of painful headaches. She confided in me that she had the secret cure for headaches: a bear hug. And, surprisingly, it always worked. One close hug from her made that pain disappear. Ms. Martin planted a seed in that little six-year old girl that day. That seed was one that said a teacher can be more than a vessel of information; they can be a vessel of love. It is my goal every day to plant that same seed in my students.

Lucy Craft Laney

Lucy Craft Laney was born in 1854 to father David Laney who had purchased his own freedom and then the freedom of his wife, Louisa, before bringing Lucy into the world. Lucy was reading by the age of four and realized her dream of being a teacher as a young woman. She opened a school with six children and proudly operated the first school for African American children in Augusta, Georgia.

Later, as Lucy pursued funding sources, she found herself in North Minneapolis at the National Presbyterian Church Convention. While there, she pled her case for her school but was sent home with no financial support. Shortly after she arrived back in Georgia, though, a woman who'd heard Lucy speak while here, a Mrs. Francine Haines, arrived with a $10,000 donation and Laney saw her school grow from six to 800.

Laney died in 1933 leaving a legacy of hope, change and persistence. At Lucy Craft Laney Community School we are proud to be Lucy's namesake. We take seriously the pattern she left for us and bear her banner in all we do. We believe that we may not be her biological descendants, but we are her educational ones and we raise her flag as a tribute to her.

Impossible!

My favorite song in Rodger & Hammerstein's Cinderella is the duet between Cinderella (Brandy) and her Fairy Godmother, the late Whitney Houston. The song is called Impossible. The words go like this, "Impossible! For a plain yellow pumpkin to become a golden carriage. Impossible! For a plain country bumpkin and a prince to join in marriage. And four white mice could never be turned to horses. Such falder-all-and-fiddley-dee-of-course is Im-poss-i-ble! But the world is full of zanies and fools. Who don't believe in sensible rules and don't believe what sensible people say, And because-these-daff-and-dewey-eyed-dopes keep-building-up-impossible-hopes, impossible things are happening everyday." For those of you who know the song, you're singing along with the lyrics now. For those of you who don't, look the song up online and you'll be humming it for the rest of the day.

I believe that "impossible" things can happen everyday. And one of the impossible things that has, does, and will continue to happen at Lucy Craft Laney Community School is - we will be a place where staff deliver the keys to learning, children embrace that learning and together we soar - making a school where some may say excellence is impossible...POSSIBLE!